From the editors

Nearly every story in this month’s Daily Trojan Magazine is also its writers’ magazine debut, and for that, we’re incredibly excited. Hiring new writers is one of the most exciting and intimidating parts of the editor position. We sift through dozens of applications to find the sparks of potential that make this publication so exciting to bring together.

When all our new talent assembled for the first time in February, we heard stories about corners of this campus and beyond that we had never considered, fresh ideas and ambitious undertakings that thrilled the entire room. Those first pitch meetings were electrifying and inspiring, and without them, you wouldn’t have the body of work we’re proud to present today. The stories you’ll read in this month’s magazine are the culmination of the work that followed, including two first-time Daily Trojan writers and three more making their Magazine writing debut.

Not every story in this edition was a new conception this month. Our cover story had been in the works since September last year, and included interviewing 50 of USC’s funniest students and faculty. Several others are the culmination of many weeks of development and research, and speak on issues relevant yesterday, today and deep into the future.

The magazine being just 11 issues and less than two years into its run means that the topics, too, are still fresh and exciting. The unique perspectives, in-depth research and visceral writing styles of the writers, artists and photographers assembled in the pages you are either reading online — or, better yet, holding in your hands — are unprecedented.

In this month’s magazine, Melissa Grimaldo discusses the swath of fountains across USC and what they can tell us about the University’s sustainability issues; India Brown ponders Los Angeles’ urban planning and how it affects us with the help of architects and professors; Miaofu Tian analyzes the trend of college acceptance videos and their social aftershocks; and Amelie Melsness delivers a street-level view of USC’s diverse partying scene. This month’s cover story by Fabián Gutiérrez and David Rendon is a comprehensive and hilarious look at USC’s comedy scene.

Plus, Teo Gonzales and Tai Lyn Sandhu examine the community supporting USC in a photo essay, and Vivian Bi and Vivienne Tran present a cartoon on “Moments.” Finally, in this month’s edition of The Back Page, Bennett Christofferson presents the first-ever Daily Trojan Magazine crossword, a huge hit in our newsroom that we hope you’ll take the time to complete!

We’d like to thank the artists and photographers who contributed to the magazine, led by art & design director Vivienne Tran as well as photo editors Henry Kofman and Ethan Thai. Our assistant editors Alexa Rubinstein and the aforementioned Melissa Grimaldo were once again instrumental in the development of this edition. This month, we’re particularly grateful for our copy desk, led by co-chief copy editors Julia Ho and Anna Jordan. Finally, we’re grateful for the guidance of our managing editor and Spring 2025 Editor in Chief, Stefano Fendrich.

To readers old and new, from writers old and new, enjoy the latest issue of the Daily Trojan Magazine.